A Lawrenceville man was found guilty of molesting a girl more than a dozen years ago, Cobb prosecutors said.

Adrian DeShawn Burney, 38, previously served prison time in Alabama after pleading guilty to raping two underage girls there, court officials said.

Thursday, a Cobb County jury found him guilty on two counts of child molestation of a local victim who is now 24 years old, prosecutors said.

The abuse happened over a period of four years, starting when the victim was 8, authorities said.

She testified that she didn't immediately report the abuse because his girlfriend lived with her family, and she liked having the girlfriend around, prosecutors said.

"The evidence has shown this defendant's method of operation," Cobb Assistant District Attorney Chuck Boring told jurors. "He grooms these young girls, builds their trust, and then uses that trust for his own perverted sexual reasons. His acts have been those of a predator."

Burney, who faces up to 40 years in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced March 28.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Power's Plant Bowen in Cartersville is shown. The utility wants to add about 10,000 megawatts of power supplies in just five years, mainly to serve data centers. (Hyosyb Shin/AJC 2015)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Featured

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC